Nazism

The Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam is considering taking steps against Piet de Vries. The theology lecturer compared the gender discussion with the situation in the Second World War, when the Nazi ideology was "forced upon the Netherlands". The board of the university announced that it will have a firm talk with the man and take appropriate action, NU.nl reports.

The Ministry of Defense is ordering an investigation into abuses in the armed forces, State Secretary Barbara Visser said in a letter to parliament. Reports were received about inadmissible behavior at training institutes as well as another defense department, she said, NOS reports.

The Hungarian government is planning to implement a law that would ban all symbols that refer to Nazi occupation or communist suppression, which according to them, includes the red star on Heineken's logo. This means that Heineken may be forced to change its label in Hungary, RTL Nieuws reports.

A number of popular Dutch twitter accounts, including that of Amnesty International, Caro Emerald and Donald Duck, were hacked into and hijacked. The hijackers used the accounts to spread Turkish threats and anti-Dutch propaganda, RTL Nieuws reports.

The tweets called the Netherlands and Germany Nazi countries and included a link that takes you to a YouTube video showing a compilation of speeches by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The accompanying text warns not to test Turkey's patience.

Germany and France expressed their support for the Netherlands in the political spat between the Netherlands and Turkey. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also called for a de-escalation in the situation. After the Netherlands' parliamentary election on Wednesday, Germany and France also have elections upcoming.

The European Commission called on Turkey to refrain from making harsh statements that could worsen the country's relationship with the Netherlands and other European members. "The comparison by the Turkish President with Nazi practices is unacceptable", Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said, according to NOS.

Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher called on Turkey to retract its accusations of Nazism and fascism against the Netherlands. If the country does not do so, the relationship between the Netherlands and Turkey will remain difficult, Asscher said, according to RTL Nieuws.

Asscher added that the Dutch government will not take any measures against the Ankara government, even if they refuse to retract the statements. According to him, it is important that calm returns. But "a different form of communication must come from Turkey", he said.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated its travel advice for Turkey, due to current political tensions between the two countries. The Dutch government does not advise against going to Turkey, but does warn Dutch travelers to watch out for gatherings and avoid public places, ANP reports.

These warnings are on top of the already in place advice of risks in Turkey due to terrorist attacks and political tensions.